The United Arab Emirates has ambitious plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and is ramping up its efforts to hit this important target.
It was the first country in the Middle East to make such a pledge, through its Net Zero 2050 Charter. As host of the COP28 climate summit in 2023, it has been putting a lot of effort into pushing its plans forward and has designated this as the Year of Sustainability.
Indeed the UAE is one of the few countries that submitted a new Nationally Determined Contribution with a strengthened emissions reduction target ahead of the COP27 in Egypt last year.
Total carbon emissions in the UAE are relatively small compared to other countries. In 2022, it ranked 46th in the world in terms of total carbon emissions. However, emissions per capita are much higher, ranking 11th in the world on that basis.
The UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative aligns with the Paris Agreement, which calls on countries to prepare long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 C compared to pre-industrial levels.
As is the case with other countries, the UAE’s net-zero goal is not impossible but will require significant investment and a sharp focus on transitioning, quite fundamentally, the way the country operates.
The key strategies for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 are being led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and include investing in renewable energy such as solar and wind power and moving away from its legacy fossil fuel reliance. By 2030, the country aims to generate 50% of its electricity from clean sources and has already committed to investing $600 billion in clean energy over the next three decades.
Increasing energy efficiency will also be important and the UAE plans to increase energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy. This will involve measures such as improving building insulation and promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances. In a country where air conditioning is the norm through much of the year, this may be challenging.
Decarbonizing transportation is another important area of focus. The switch to electric vehicles and other low-emissions vehicles is being heavily promoted and incentivized. While take-up lags the US, EU and China, there is set to be a very sharp rise in electric vehicles in the coming years.
Industrial emissions are a huge contributor to global warming and the UAE is aiming to reduce emissions from industrial activities using a variety of measures such as improving energy efficiency in factories and switching to cleaner production methods.
The last major strand of the strategy is to protect forests and the ecosystems that play a role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This includes a varied programme of activities from preserving important mangrove swamps to reducing plastic waste and ocean litter. There are now nearly 50 nature reserves in the country set up to protect biodiversity. These are also supporting a burgeoning nature tourism industry.
The UAE’s net-zero goal also has economic benefits. It is also expected to create jobs and boost economic growth. The clean energy sector alone is forecast to create 250,000 jobs by 2030 and the UAE’s net-zero goal is also expected to attract investment from around the world.
Despite these policies and actions, the UAE is still planning for a significant increase in fossil fuel production and consumption, which is not consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, according to Climate Action Tracker, an international body that assesses countries’ progress against climate targets. Overall, the CAT rates the UAE’s climate targets and policies as “highly insufficient” and says that “the UAE will not be able to achieve its NDC with current policies. It would need to implement additional policies and significantly reduce its 2030 emissions to reach its NDC target. We estimate that the UAE’s 2030 emissions are set to increase by 30–35% above 2010 levels.”
This year is seeing an unprecedented focus on climate action in the UAE, partially as a result of the COP28 climate conference in December, which is acting as a global showcase for the Middle East’s transition. The political will to tackle climate change is increasingly apparent, but implementation of policies and actions is perhaps still not aggressive enough. Achieving success is going to remain a challenge; it will require the government, businesses and individuals to move even further and faster to achieve real, sustained action.
